This course is an introduction and exploration of technical and aesthetic aspects of stage combat. Our main goals are to develop the ability to safely portray violence onstage within the context of a play with specificity and dramatic power, as well as to understand how stage combat fits into the practice of theater as a whole.

All of your current and previous training in acting, voice, and movement will be integrated in this course. We will be investigating various martial forms to develop a specific vocabulary for the stage.

Other aspects include the development of strength and flexibility, eye/hand coordination, understanding and applications of principles of safety in working with a partner, and learning how to advance your character journey and develop ensemble work through each individual move in a fight sequence.

The instructor reserves the right to modify this syllabus at his discretion according to the needs and progress of the class.

Please note that the final project showcase will be open to the public.

Written Assignments and Presentations

There will be four written assignments and a presentation completed by each student. These will include a dramaturgical analysis and three self-evaluation papers. The assignments are detailed below.Dramaturgical Analysis – Due March 10th

A 4-7 page paper on a play with a significant fight in it. You may pick a play from They Fight! or find one on your own.

First, explain how the fight or fights fit into the plot structure of the play as a whole and how character relationships are different before and after the fight and explain what character conflicts manifest in the fight. Remember that the characters affected are not limited to those who fight (for example, Juliet has a lot at stake when Romeo & Tybalt face off).

Second, if there are clues about how the fight might manifest itself in earlier parts of the script or descriptions of the fight later in the script that might influence how actors would execute them, detail those.

Third, come up with three different executions of the fight and describe how each one would change the overall arc of a production. This could be as simple as how things might be different if one character sustains an unscripted (but logical) injury that would change the actor’s portrayal of them later in the play or as complex as exchanging swords for firearms and thus changing the entire world of a play.

There will be an in class discussion of Romeo & Juliet that will demonstrate what is required in this assignment.

Three Self-Evaluation Papers – Due February 17th, March 31st, April 30th

The evaluation will be 2-4 pages long and deal with the following questions addressing each one in at least a paragraph:

How does what you have learned so far fit in with your other theatre training?

What would you like to develop further?

What do you feel you need more improvement on?

What have you learned that you did not expect to?

In addition, pick one essay that was assigned for class and in one paragraph describe its relevance to your training.

Short Presentation

The presentation will be from 5-7 minutes and on any one fighting style from any time period and any culture: military or civilian, sport or combat, armed or unarmed.

Aspects covered in the presentation will include:

- Training and methodology

- Historical and cultural context of the form

- Examples of application

- If the form is no longer extant, what caused it to disappear?

- Demonstrations are welcome if applicable

- If there is a major text associated with the form, please describe it

- If applicable, mythologies that have grown around the form

- Discuss how it might be adapted for the stage

The presentations can be scheduled for any time in the semester, though it is recommended that you take care of them early on. Dates will be assigned in class. Topics must be cleared with the instructor beforehand. Research is expected, as is a handout detailing your textual and media sources.

If a student is proficient in a martial art or martial sport it is permissible to choose that form as their topic. However, they are still required to clear the topic with the instructor and all standards of academic rigor still apply.

Final Project

Each participant will work one or more partners to present final scenes on the last day of class. Details on this will follow as the course progresses.